2017.

Sunday 31 December 2017

2017, it's been a year! I've been MIA from my blog since my carpal tunnel surgery in November, but my hand is healing nicely now so I'm hoping to get back to some regular scheduled programming ASAP. Politically 2017 was a terrible year, and I'm aghast at the direction our planet seems to be going in, but this blog is going to be about my personal 2017 in an attempt to finish the year with some positivity and reflection.



2017 had it's highs and it's lows. Family members and friends were ill, thankfully these illnesses seem to be under control or on the mend now, and I am more grateful for the NHS than ever. Friendships changed, and I learnt a lot about being able to tell myself that it's OK to give up on people who let you down or hurt you. I had my first carpal tunnel surgery (full blog post on that coming soon), I'm still waiting on the other hand after that operation was cancelled last week. I scarred my face and managed to lose a good chunk of eyebrow in May, which very much affected how I felt about myself, and was a whole journey to accept the changes that I wasn't expecting. Note to self - the kitchen floor is extremely slippery when wet!

In the highs of the year, I had the absolute privilege of seeing three of my nearest and dearest get married this year. My little brother two days before Christmas, my darling cousin Hannah, and my best friend Fal. I was bridesmaid for Fal, and any long time reader will remember my being thrown out of the last wedding I was supposed to be a bridesmaid in, so it was a joy to finally be trusted to be a part of someone's day.


My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary whilst away on a wonderful holiday with two of our best friends. We also went to a whole bunch of incredible gigs this year, we were lucky enough to see Metallica, Stone Sour, Inglorious, Wayward Sons and Bigfoot. We're hoping to make 2018 even more music focused and already have some gigs planned.

Blog wise, things all went to the wayside from November because of my surgery, but I still hit some personal targets and achieved some things I'm very proud of. I hit 200,000 views, something I had wanted to hit before the end of the year, and I hit yesterday, so I did it with a day to spare! I wrote 37 articles for She Might Be, 3 of which were some of the most successful pieces on the site for the entire year. I did my first ever photoshoot on the other side of the camera, with the truly amazing Shannon Swift, I cannot recommend her enough! If she can make an awkward turtle like me look so glam, she's got skills.


I was published as a blogger in a print magazine for the first time, in the brill Blogosphere Magazine. I can also now very proudly announce that I'm in the magic Bethany Rutter's book Plus+ that is due out 15th February! I've already pre-ordered it and cannot wait to get my mitts on it.

 
I'm hoping that 2018 can bring about more travel, more music, and more good times. I know my blog will have another hiatus when I have my other hand operation, but it's well worth it because hopefully my hands will be greatly improved and I might even be able to pick up my camera again.

Here's to hoping for a kick ass 2018!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

2017.

Sunday 31 December 2017

2017, it's been a year! I've been MIA from my blog since my carpal tunnel surgery in November, but my hand is healing nicely now so I'm hoping to get back to some regular scheduled programming ASAP. Politically 2017 was a terrible year, and I'm aghast at the direction our planet seems to be going in, but this blog is going to be about my personal 2017 in an attempt to finish the year with some positivity and reflection.



2017 had it's highs and it's lows. Family members and friends were ill, thankfully these illnesses seem to be under control or on the mend now, and I am more grateful for the NHS than ever. Friendships changed, and I learnt a lot about being able to tell myself that it's OK to give up on people who let you down or hurt you. I had my first carpal tunnel surgery (full blog post on that coming soon), I'm still waiting on the other hand after that operation was cancelled last week. I scarred my face and managed to lose a good chunk of eyebrow in May, which very much affected how I felt about myself, and was a whole journey to accept the changes that I wasn't expecting. Note to self - the kitchen floor is extremely slippery when wet!

In the highs of the year, I had the absolute privilege of seeing three of my nearest and dearest get married this year. My little brother two days before Christmas, my darling cousin Hannah, and my best friend Fal. I was bridesmaid for Fal, and any long time reader will remember my being thrown out of the last wedding I was supposed to be a bridesmaid in, so it was a joy to finally be trusted to be a part of someone's day.


My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary whilst away on a wonderful holiday with two of our best friends. We also went to a whole bunch of incredible gigs this year, we were lucky enough to see Metallica, Stone Sour, Inglorious, Wayward Sons and Bigfoot. We're hoping to make 2018 even more music focused and already have some gigs planned.

Blog wise, things all went to the wayside from November because of my surgery, but I still hit some personal targets and achieved some things I'm very proud of. I hit 200,000 views, something I had wanted to hit before the end of the year, and I hit yesterday, so I did it with a day to spare! I wrote 37 articles for She Might Be, 3 of which were some of the most successful pieces on the site for the entire year. I did my first ever photoshoot on the other side of the camera, with the truly amazing Shannon Swift, I cannot recommend her enough! If she can make an awkward turtle like me look so glam, she's got skills.


I was published as a blogger in a print magazine for the first time, in the brill Blogosphere Magazine. I can also now very proudly announce that I'm in the magic Bethany Rutter's book Plus+ that is due out 15th February! I've already pre-ordered it and cannot wait to get my mitts on it.

 
I'm hoping that 2018 can bring about more travel, more music, and more good times. I know my blog will have another hiatus when I have my other hand operation, but it's well worth it because hopefully my hands will be greatly improved and I might even be able to pick up my camera again.

Here's to hoping for a kick ass 2018!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Head Shave to Raise Money for Macmillan!

Wednesday 22 November 2017

When I was 11, I met my best friend Fal. We've been pretty inseparable since we met, both being bridesmaids at each others weddings and hell, we both even married men called Stu. We take being best friends super serially. We've been together through thick and thin, good times and bad, and right now, Fal and her family are having one of those harder times. Fal's awesome Mum Sally is fighting breast cancer, and to support her, Fal has decided to shave her head to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Macmillan are an incredible organisation who have been a great help to Sally, and are such an important charity.



To borrow Fal's words, 'I can't be with my mum through the sickness she gets from chemo or the constant 'what if' thoughts she has but I can support her through losing her hair'.

I'm so proud of Fal for deciding to support her Mum in this way, and I want to support them both in the way that I can, and that's to share her fundraiser with you guys.


Cancer touches so many of our lives, and I'd love to help Fal absolutely smash her target! Every penny counts in supporting those who are facing cancer and allows more incredible Macmillan nurses to help.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Head Shave to Raise Money for Macmillan!

Wednesday 22 November 2017

When I was 11, I met my best friend Fal. We've been pretty inseparable since we met, both being bridesmaids at each others weddings and hell, we both even married men called Stu. We take being best friends super serially. We've been together through thick and thin, good times and bad, and right now, Fal and her family are having one of those harder times. Fal's awesome Mum Sally is fighting breast cancer, and to support her, Fal has decided to shave her head to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Macmillan are an incredible organisation who have been a great help to Sally, and are such an important charity.



To borrow Fal's words, 'I can't be with my mum through the sickness she gets from chemo or the constant 'what if' thoughts she has but I can support her through losing her hair'.

I'm so proud of Fal for deciding to support her Mum in this way, and I want to support them both in the way that I can, and that's to share her fundraiser with you guys.


Cancer touches so many of our lives, and I'd love to help Fal absolutely smash her target! Every penny counts in supporting those who are facing cancer and allows more incredible Macmillan nurses to help.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Autumn Favourites

Thursday 16 November 2017

It's been a while since I've written a favourites post, but I figured it was about time I shared some of my recent faves for autumn!


First up it has to be this lush Navabi dress that I blogged about in detail here. It's one of the softest and comfiest things I've ever owned and I love it.


A post shared by Kitty Morris (@kittyramblesalot) on

October saw the release of the first ever generation III Pokemon in a PokemonGO Halloween event and I caught my first ever shiny Pokemon too! I'm so excited for the full release of gen III and I'm still playing as much as ever. I also managed to get invites to two EX-raids and caught two Mewtwos! 



A post shared by Kitty Morris (@kittyramblesalot) on

My best friend Fal got married! She doesn't have her official photos back yet so here's a sneaky selfie of me and my husband Stu. She also married a fantastic man called Stu, we take this whole best friends thing very seriously! I had the absolute honour of being a bridesmaid, I've attempted to be someone's bridesmaid before, which ended in total disaster (read about that mess here) and had such an awesome day. I cried almost constantly from when I woke up with total joy and love. Magic day!


These ASOS boots! ASOS have started selling up to a size UK10EEE in their women's range so you know I had to try them and I am obsessed with these boots. Glitter platform boots of my dreams!


My hair colour. So, believe it or not, I used La Riche Directions in Violet, and somehow ended up with teal hair. Thankfully I adore it, which is a good job, because blues and greens are so hard to strip out of hair!
We saw Metallica! Back in April for my husband's birthday I went really OTT and got him Metallica tickets. He is a massive fan (this was his 16th time seeing them) and they were brilliant live. They did a really touching to the victims of the Manchester Arena attack which was fitting as it was at Manchester Arena.


And finally, in a weird thing I love about autumn, the cold, and how cuddlier it makes my cats! They all love exploring when it's warm, but now it's cold they are all loving being snuggled up with me and I love it. Nothing better than coming home to one cuddly pooch and three loving kitties!

What are your favourite things about autumn?

Much love, 
Kitty xxx

Autumn Favourites

Thursday 16 November 2017

It's been a while since I've written a favourites post, but I figured it was about time I shared some of my recent faves for autumn!


First up it has to be this lush Navabi dress that I blogged about in detail here. It's one of the softest and comfiest things I've ever owned and I love it.


A post shared by Kitty Morris (@kittyramblesalot) on

October saw the release of the first ever generation III Pokemon in a PokemonGO Halloween event and I caught my first ever shiny Pokemon too! I'm so excited for the full release of gen III and I'm still playing as much as ever. I also managed to get invites to two EX-raids and caught two Mewtwos! 



A post shared by Kitty Morris (@kittyramblesalot) on

My best friend Fal got married! She doesn't have her official photos back yet so here's a sneaky selfie of me and my husband Stu. She also married a fantastic man called Stu, we take this whole best friends thing very seriously! I had the absolute honour of being a bridesmaid, I've attempted to be someone's bridesmaid before, which ended in total disaster (read about that mess here) and had such an awesome day. I cried almost constantly from when I woke up with total joy and love. Magic day!


These ASOS boots! ASOS have started selling up to a size UK10EEE in their women's range so you know I had to try them and I am obsessed with these boots. Glitter platform boots of my dreams!


My hair colour. So, believe it or not, I used La Riche Directions in Violet, and somehow ended up with teal hair. Thankfully I adore it, which is a good job, because blues and greens are so hard to strip out of hair!
We saw Metallica! Back in April for my husband's birthday I went really OTT and got him Metallica tickets. He is a massive fan (this was his 16th time seeing them) and they were brilliant live. They did a really touching to the victims of the Manchester Arena attack which was fitting as it was at Manchester Arena.


And finally, in a weird thing I love about autumn, the cold, and how cuddlier it makes my cats! They all love exploring when it's warm, but now it's cold they are all loving being snuggled up with me and I love it. Nothing better than coming home to one cuddly pooch and three loving kitties!

What are your favourite things about autumn?

Much love, 
Kitty xxx

Michelle Hopewell's Anxiety Tips

Tuesday 14 November 2017

For the first of my wonderful guest posts while I'm recovering from my surgery, here we have the amazing Michelle Hopewell and her tips for dealing with anxiety!

Right, let’s go for a show of hands on those of us who spend hours letting our anxiety kidnap us, throw us into the back of a DeLorean and travel back into time to the clock tour that got struck with lightening, i.e. every failed relationship, every time you tripped over, any argument you failed to properly articulate your point in, any time you have over anaylized, any time you've slipped into harmful old habits, thoughts and feelings and every time you’s basically failed at life. 

All of us? 

Just as I thought. 

Though lets be real, as awesome as time travel is, its hardly helping us grow and progress as people. Popping back and forth into the past stops being a helpful way of learning and starts becoming the biggest mental blocks we learn to erect in our own minds.  

The reality is we need to stay in the present. If we spend most of our time being consumed with the past and things we don't actually have the power to control or change, than how are we meant to forge forward in the present and how are we meant to cease our futures? 

We spend so much time putting our energy and power into things that have already been. Moments that we should have long since grieved and let go of, instead of allowing room for the birthing of new things. 




Here are a few tips I use to stay in the present. 

1. Journal - I find that if I haven't closed a chapter on something, it continually rears its ugly head. Sometimes this can be in situations I have been in or relationships I have had, regardless of their definition. Waiting around for a person or a circumstance to provide that closure is not always helpful or possible. So I have found writing how I am feeling down helps me begin to untangle all of the things I need to process in order to provide myself with that closure. 

2. Gratitude - Sometimes its hard to think of things in a vast or global way. It makes whatever you're struggling with feel even more overwhelming. That's natural. So bring it down. Focus it in. What can you be thankful for? In the moment. Even if its the smallest thing. It doesn't have to big and it doesn't have to be mind blowing. Sometimes the only thing I can be thankful for is that my bus turns up when its meant to. 

3. Worry, but just not about yesterday - I'm starting to realise that telling myself or other people not to worry, doesn't mean that I wont worry. I think there's something in my nature that automatically has an affinity for this. So while I work on dismantling it altogether, I have to just accept the fact that I do worry, but I can limit the amount I'm doing. The reality of things are, even though we do our best to plan, anything could happen at any given moment, but I can't spend time worrying about the things that did happen or could. I have to focus on each day and doing my best to overcome any obstacle in that present moment. Take less off your plate and focus on the things that our worrying you right now. Then take those things and myth bust them one by one. 

4. Ask for help - If you're anything like me, you sometimes forget to ask for help. You think you can do it all by yourself, but that's not the truth. I raised to be a fiercely independent black woman, but I forget that a truly fierce and independent black women is successful when she knows when to ask for help and accept help. So don't try and do it all alone if you are struggling. Whatever form of help you need, find the right person or people to ask. We are stronger together than we are alone. 

5. Forgive - Yourself first and foremost. We've all got the ability to hold and grudge and surprisingly you would think that we would be able to hold it against people longer than ourselves, but that's not strictly true. Sometimes our inability to forgive someone else is wholly tied up in our inability to forgive ourselves. Whatever you think you did or are doing that doesn't measure up to an impossible standard you've created in your mind, discard it. Forgive yourself for all those years of finding new ways to dislike yourself, hurt yourself or others. Your body is so rooting for you and so in love with you that it past the need for apology, it simply wants to get on to the business of living. 

We can’t let ourselves be consumed by this nostalgic idea of how things used to be and we cannot let ourselves be defined by the pain of what has been. 

Set yourself free and focus on living for the joy of what time you have.

Follow Michelle at the following websites - 
http://michellehopewell.tumblr.com/
https://twitter.com/MichelleCHope
https://www.instagram.com/michellehopewell/

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome : Colourpop Haul

Michelle Hopewell's Anxiety Tips

Tuesday 14 November 2017

For the first of my wonderful guest posts while I'm recovering from my surgery, here we have the amazing Michelle Hopewell and her tips for dealing with anxiety!

Right, let’s go for a show of hands on those of us who spend hours letting our anxiety kidnap us, throw us into the back of a DeLorean and travel back into time to the clock tour that got struck with lightening, i.e. every failed relationship, every time you tripped over, any argument you failed to properly articulate your point in, any time you have over anaylized, any time you've slipped into harmful old habits, thoughts and feelings and every time you’s basically failed at life. 

All of us? 

Just as I thought. 

Though lets be real, as awesome as time travel is, its hardly helping us grow and progress as people. Popping back and forth into the past stops being a helpful way of learning and starts becoming the biggest mental blocks we learn to erect in our own minds.  

The reality is we need to stay in the present. If we spend most of our time being consumed with the past and things we don't actually have the power to control or change, than how are we meant to forge forward in the present and how are we meant to cease our futures? 

We spend so much time putting our energy and power into things that have already been. Moments that we should have long since grieved and let go of, instead of allowing room for the birthing of new things. 




Here are a few tips I use to stay in the present. 

1. Journal - I find that if I haven't closed a chapter on something, it continually rears its ugly head. Sometimes this can be in situations I have been in or relationships I have had, regardless of their definition. Waiting around for a person or a circumstance to provide that closure is not always helpful or possible. So I have found writing how I am feeling down helps me begin to untangle all of the things I need to process in order to provide myself with that closure. 

2. Gratitude - Sometimes its hard to think of things in a vast or global way. It makes whatever you're struggling with feel even more overwhelming. That's natural. So bring it down. Focus it in. What can you be thankful for? In the moment. Even if its the smallest thing. It doesn't have to big and it doesn't have to be mind blowing. Sometimes the only thing I can be thankful for is that my bus turns up when its meant to. 

3. Worry, but just not about yesterday - I'm starting to realise that telling myself or other people not to worry, doesn't mean that I wont worry. I think there's something in my nature that automatically has an affinity for this. So while I work on dismantling it altogether, I have to just accept the fact that I do worry, but I can limit the amount I'm doing. The reality of things are, even though we do our best to plan, anything could happen at any given moment, but I can't spend time worrying about the things that did happen or could. I have to focus on each day and doing my best to overcome any obstacle in that present moment. Take less off your plate and focus on the things that our worrying you right now. Then take those things and myth bust them one by one. 

4. Ask for help - If you're anything like me, you sometimes forget to ask for help. You think you can do it all by yourself, but that's not the truth. I raised to be a fiercely independent black woman, but I forget that a truly fierce and independent black women is successful when she knows when to ask for help and accept help. So don't try and do it all alone if you are struggling. Whatever form of help you need, find the right person or people to ask. We are stronger together than we are alone. 

5. Forgive - Yourself first and foremost. We've all got the ability to hold and grudge and surprisingly you would think that we would be able to hold it against people longer than ourselves, but that's not strictly true. Sometimes our inability to forgive someone else is wholly tied up in our inability to forgive ourselves. Whatever you think you did or are doing that doesn't measure up to an impossible standard you've created in your mind, discard it. Forgive yourself for all those years of finding new ways to dislike yourself, hurt yourself or others. Your body is so rooting for you and so in love with you that it past the need for apology, it simply wants to get on to the business of living. 

We can’t let ourselves be consumed by this nostalgic idea of how things used to be and we cannot let ourselves be defined by the pain of what has been. 

Set yourself free and focus on living for the joy of what time you have.

Follow Michelle at the following websites - 
http://michellehopewell.tumblr.com/
https://twitter.com/MichelleCHope
https://www.instagram.com/michellehopewell/

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome : Colourpop Haul

I Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Thursday 9 November 2017

For years I've had problems with my right hand, I put it down to it being the hand that held my camera weight, and to breaking it a few times in my younger days. Two years ago it began to be more of an issue, I'd do a photoshoot and barely be able to use my hand for days. I began strapping it up for shoots figuring it was just a strain that was overworked and cut down on my photoshoots. Gradually it began to hurt me all the time, and after some exploring, my doctor suspected I had carpal tunnel syndrome. I had expected to be told it was repetitive strain injury, so it was a shock. I was sent to for nerve conduction studies and was told I had moderate to severe carpal tunnel in my right hand. I was more shocked to be told I also had moderate carpal tunnel in my left hand!


The first step, was to wear a splint to support my hands. The NHS do not provide splints, so I researched some online and ended up buying them from Amazon. I had 'skin coloured' ones, in that ugly beige colour, but ultimately preferred black ones because they blended in with my clothes more. I wore them to sleep as recommended, and found that I basically got no relief. The damage was too far gone.


As our wedding approached last year, I began to panic. I had been so specific about what kind of flowers and bouquet I wanted, and here I was, hands in constant pain, how could I possibly hold my bouquet all day? I spoke to my doctor who decided it was time to try steroid injections in my right hand. The first couple worked great, I got a lot of relief from the pain and my hands worked better. I was able to hold my bouquet for the ceremony and photos before I needed to put it down. By the third injection, it was clear it wasn't going to be an option long term.



By the fourth injection, my doctor struggled to even get the injection into my nerve to give me the steroid treatment. In carpal tunnel your nerves become calcified and compressed, the pain spread and would shoot up my elbow. It's impact upon my daily life became more and more obvious. I cut down on how much I blog, because typing hurts. I switched from ordering pints of water in the pub (yes, I am that person) to having halves or using a straw, because I couldn't life a pint anymore. My hand forgets it is holding things, combined with my clumsiness this has led to lots of dropped and smashed things! I can only drive short distances because it hurts. By the evenings even giving my dog scritches hurts, so poor Ashen even misses out. I have to ask my husband Stu to open jars and bottles, or to carry heavy things for me. Washing my hair hurts, writing hurts, anything that uses my hands hurts.


Want to know a fun fact about carpal tunnel? Painkillers have absolutely no effect on it whatsoever. So there is nothing you can do to alleviate the pain. This is why today I am having the first of my two carpal tunnel surgeries. It's going to put me out of commission for a few weeks, so I have some fantastic guest posts lined up from bloggers I love. Once my right hand is healed, I'll be having my left hand done too. I'm excited to potentially have more use of my hands again, but I'm also realistic and know that my hands won't be how they used to be.

Wish me luck!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

I Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Thursday 9 November 2017

For years I've had problems with my right hand, I put it down to it being the hand that held my camera weight, and to breaking it a few times in my younger days. Two years ago it began to be more of an issue, I'd do a photoshoot and barely be able to use my hand for days. I began strapping it up for shoots figuring it was just a strain that was overworked and cut down on my photoshoots. Gradually it began to hurt me all the time, and after some exploring, my doctor suspected I had carpal tunnel syndrome. I had expected to be told it was repetitive strain injury, so it was a shock. I was sent to for nerve conduction studies and was told I had moderate to severe carpal tunnel in my right hand. I was more shocked to be told I also had moderate carpal tunnel in my left hand!


The first step, was to wear a splint to support my hands. The NHS do not provide splints, so I researched some online and ended up buying them from Amazon. I had 'skin coloured' ones, in that ugly beige colour, but ultimately preferred black ones because they blended in with my clothes more. I wore them to sleep as recommended, and found that I basically got no relief. The damage was too far gone.


As our wedding approached last year, I began to panic. I had been so specific about what kind of flowers and bouquet I wanted, and here I was, hands in constant pain, how could I possibly hold my bouquet all day? I spoke to my doctor who decided it was time to try steroid injections in my right hand. The first couple worked great, I got a lot of relief from the pain and my hands worked better. I was able to hold my bouquet for the ceremony and photos before I needed to put it down. By the third injection, it was clear it wasn't going to be an option long term.



By the fourth injection, my doctor struggled to even get the injection into my nerve to give me the steroid treatment. In carpal tunnel your nerves become calcified and compressed, the pain spread and would shoot up my elbow. It's impact upon my daily life became more and more obvious. I cut down on how much I blog, because typing hurts. I switched from ordering pints of water in the pub (yes, I am that person) to having halves or using a straw, because I couldn't life a pint anymore. My hand forgets it is holding things, combined with my clumsiness this has led to lots of dropped and smashed things! I can only drive short distances because it hurts. By the evenings even giving my dog scritches hurts, so poor Ashen even misses out. I have to ask my husband Stu to open jars and bottles, or to carry heavy things for me. Washing my hair hurts, writing hurts, anything that uses my hands hurts.


Want to know a fun fact about carpal tunnel? Painkillers have absolutely no effect on it whatsoever. So there is nothing you can do to alleviate the pain. This is why today I am having the first of my two carpal tunnel surgeries. It's going to put me out of commission for a few weeks, so I have some fantastic guest posts lined up from bloggers I love. Once my right hand is healed, I'll be having my left hand done too. I'm excited to potentially have more use of my hands again, but I'm also realistic and know that my hands won't be how they used to be.

Wish me luck!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Another Colourpop Haul

Wednesday 1 November 2017

At this point it's fairly obvious that I'm a huge fan of Colourpop products. I recently gave one of my super shock shadows to my Nanna because she has been struggling to find an eye shadow that doesn't migrate throughout the day. I have hooded lids and find the super shock shadows to be the best I've tried, and was confident she'd feel the same. She claimed the eye shadow for her own and I've never seen it again since! She showed it to her friends, and next thing I knew I was being asked to place a giant Colourpop order for my Nanna and her three besties. Of course I couldn't resist ordering myself a few pieces too, and this is what I picked up.



This is 'Sugar' and 'Banana Daiquiri'. I fell in love with Banana Daiquiri as soon as they uploaded it to the website and it's exactly what I'd hoped. It's a gorgeous mix of green and blue with yellow undertones. Sugar is a much paler blue with silvery undertones.



This is 'Prickly Pear' and 'Party of Five'. Prickly Pair is a lovely purple toned shade, ideal for autumn. Party of Five was part of a limited edition range Colourpop released to celebrate hitting 5 million followers on Instagram. It's a delicious red tone with flecks on green glitter. It's lush!



This is 'Mamacita' and 'Take Five', both ultra matte lips. Mamacita is part of the ILUVSARAHII collection, and Take Five was another limited edition celebration lipstick. Mamacita is exactly the colour I reach for in autumn, so it had to be mine. It is the deepest of reds, and it will look incredible on every skin tone. Take Five is a rose toned mauve that is better for more day to day wear.



Unusually for me, I opted for three non matte liquid lipsticks finally. All ultra glossy lips in fact! Left to right they are 'Wolfie' which is an ultra metallic, 'Nine to Five', another limited edition product, and 'Wishes' from their limited edition birthday collection. Colourpop's metallic lip products are always stunning, and Wolfie is no exception. It's a rosy red colour that I think I'll wear a lot in the coming holiday season. Nine to Five is a pretty bronze tone with mauve hints. Wishes is an absolute delight. I hope they bring it back because it's so different! It's a magic mix of colours, pinks, purples and blues, the photo really doesn't do it justice at all. It's sheerer than their other glossy lip products, but it almost reminds me of the Lime Crime diamond crusher lip toppers. I don't buy Lime Crime for a whole bunch of reasons, but I loved the idea of their lip toppers. I plan to use Wishes in the same way!

I've no doubt I'll probably order more Colourpop in the coming months. I can't resist!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Bralettes : Girly Grunge

Another Colourpop Haul

Wednesday 1 November 2017

At this point it's fairly obvious that I'm a huge fan of Colourpop products. I recently gave one of my super shock shadows to my Nanna because she has been struggling to find an eye shadow that doesn't migrate throughout the day. I have hooded lids and find the super shock shadows to be the best I've tried, and was confident she'd feel the same. She claimed the eye shadow for her own and I've never seen it again since! She showed it to her friends, and next thing I knew I was being asked to place a giant Colourpop order for my Nanna and her three besties. Of course I couldn't resist ordering myself a few pieces too, and this is what I picked up.



This is 'Sugar' and 'Banana Daiquiri'. I fell in love with Banana Daiquiri as soon as they uploaded it to the website and it's exactly what I'd hoped. It's a gorgeous mix of green and blue with yellow undertones. Sugar is a much paler blue with silvery undertones.



This is 'Prickly Pear' and 'Party of Five'. Prickly Pair is a lovely purple toned shade, ideal for autumn. Party of Five was part of a limited edition range Colourpop released to celebrate hitting 5 million followers on Instagram. It's a delicious red tone with flecks on green glitter. It's lush!



This is 'Mamacita' and 'Take Five', both ultra matte lips. Mamacita is part of the ILUVSARAHII collection, and Take Five was another limited edition celebration lipstick. Mamacita is exactly the colour I reach for in autumn, so it had to be mine. It is the deepest of reds, and it will look incredible on every skin tone. Take Five is a rose toned mauve that is better for more day to day wear.



Unusually for me, I opted for three non matte liquid lipsticks finally. All ultra glossy lips in fact! Left to right they are 'Wolfie' which is an ultra metallic, 'Nine to Five', another limited edition product, and 'Wishes' from their limited edition birthday collection. Colourpop's metallic lip products are always stunning, and Wolfie is no exception. It's a rosy red colour that I think I'll wear a lot in the coming holiday season. Nine to Five is a pretty bronze tone with mauve hints. Wishes is an absolute delight. I hope they bring it back because it's so different! It's a magic mix of colours, pinks, purples and blues, the photo really doesn't do it justice at all. It's sheerer than their other glossy lip products, but it almost reminds me of the Lime Crime diamond crusher lip toppers. I don't buy Lime Crime for a whole bunch of reasons, but I loved the idea of their lip toppers. I plan to use Wishes in the same way!

I've no doubt I'll probably order more Colourpop in the coming months. I can't resist!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Bralettes : Girly Grunge

Bralettes with Tutti Rouge's Rougette*

Thursday 26 October 2017

It's been around a good six months since I last wore a wired bra, and it's one of the best decisions I've made for myself. I wear bralettes or non-wired bras exclusively, and the comfort factor is real. I've never worn a bra that was truly comfortable, so bralettes were the way forward for me. So imagine my excitement when Tutti Rouge announced their new Rougette range, which included two bralettes!


Tutti Rouge very kindly sent me the Madison Bralette* to try out. It's available in up to a XXXL and a FF/G cup. I'm wearing the XXXL in the DDD/E/F cup, the last time I was measured for a bra I wore a 42E/44DD. Plus size bralettes, especially in larger bust sizes are a rarity, so I was thrilled to try this. Leopard print is an absolute favourite print of mine, especially combined with lace. It's a sexier style bralette which is a rare breed in itself, as usually they tend to be a little plainer and simpler. It retails for £15, which I think is an incredibly fair price. I've bought bralettes on the high street for around the same price, that have nowhere near the attention to detail this bralette has.


It has smooth satin cups, a thick black elastic band, lace trim and little gold heart details and hardware. The whole bra, including the elastic, is really soft. I like to wear clothes before I review them and wash them, and this looks exactly the same after a couple of washes. Cheaper lace tends to bobble easily, this isn't the case here at all. My amazing tiger paw necklace* is by Sugar & Vice by the way, I'm obsessed with it.


The bralette has a traditional bra fastening and adjustable straps. As you can see, I don't wear mine at the same lengths on each side, most people find they have one breast bigger than the other, my bigger breast is around 2 cup sizes bigger. I therefore tighten the strap on one side much more than the other. One advantage of a bralette in this sort of style is that it doesn't matter than there is such a size difference between my breasts, because the cups don't act like normal bra cups.


I did find the elastic rolled a little as the day wore on, but I could probably have done with a slightly bigger back size as the XXXL translates to a 42 back and I'm just on the cusp of the size. Overall I'm so pleased with this bralette, and am excited to see Tutti Rouge release more bralettes in fun styles!

Much love,
Kitty xxx

PS. Shout out to my husband for taking these photos and giving me antlers in that last shot.

PPS. This blog is a first for me. I've only reviewed lingerie once before on my blog and I've never taken what I consider to be 'proper' photos like this for it. So I hope I'm not too awkward!

*Denotes an item gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this impact upon my opinions which are entirely my own.

Bralettes with Tutti Rouge's Rougette*

Thursday 26 October 2017

It's been around a good six months since I last wore a wired bra, and it's one of the best decisions I've made for myself. I wear bralettes or non-wired bras exclusively, and the comfort factor is real. I've never worn a bra that was truly comfortable, so bralettes were the way forward for me. So imagine my excitement when Tutti Rouge announced their new Rougette range, which included two bralettes!


Tutti Rouge very kindly sent me the Madison Bralette* to try out. It's available in up to a XXXL and a FF/G cup. I'm wearing the XXXL in the DDD/E/F cup, the last time I was measured for a bra I wore a 42E/44DD. Plus size bralettes, especially in larger bust sizes are a rarity, so I was thrilled to try this. Leopard print is an absolute favourite print of mine, especially combined with lace. It's a sexier style bralette which is a rare breed in itself, as usually they tend to be a little plainer and simpler. It retails for £15, which I think is an incredibly fair price. I've bought bralettes on the high street for around the same price, that have nowhere near the attention to detail this bralette has.


It has smooth satin cups, a thick black elastic band, lace trim and little gold heart details and hardware. The whole bra, including the elastic, is really soft. I like to wear clothes before I review them and wash them, and this looks exactly the same after a couple of washes. Cheaper lace tends to bobble easily, this isn't the case here at all. My amazing tiger paw necklace* is by Sugar & Vice by the way, I'm obsessed with it.


The bralette has a traditional bra fastening and adjustable straps. As you can see, I don't wear mine at the same lengths on each side, most people find they have one breast bigger than the other, my bigger breast is around 2 cup sizes bigger. I therefore tighten the strap on one side much more than the other. One advantage of a bralette in this sort of style is that it doesn't matter than there is such a size difference between my breasts, because the cups don't act like normal bra cups.


I did find the elastic rolled a little as the day wore on, but I could probably have done with a slightly bigger back size as the XXXL translates to a 42 back and I'm just on the cusp of the size. Overall I'm so pleased with this bralette, and am excited to see Tutti Rouge release more bralettes in fun styles!

Much love,
Kitty xxx

PS. Shout out to my husband for taking these photos and giving me antlers in that last shot.

PPS. This blog is a first for me. I've only reviewed lingerie once before on my blog and I've never taken what I consider to be 'proper' photos like this for it. So I hope I'm not too awkward!

*Denotes an item gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this impact upon my opinions which are entirely my own.

Girly Grunge with Navabi*

Tuesday 24 October 2017

Music is one of my biggest fashion inspirations, and every autumn I am filled with the urge to bring out my inner 90's grunge kid. I love 90's Seattle grunge, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam being my favourites. It makes me think of acid wash jeans, biker boots, plaid shirts, and long curly hair. I like adding in my usual mix of girly, and this lush Navabi Manon Baptiste Checked Midi Shirt Dress* is the perfect way to bring in my own touch of 90's grunge.


Paired with my fave Plus Equals pleather jacket, and my new ASOS glitter boots, it's the perfect way to wear a more feminine grunge inspired look. I am obsessed with this dress.


Navabi are high end plus size fashion, and with every piece of clothing I have from them that quality and care is so evident. This dress is 100% cotton. Cotton clothing is so rare in plus size, and to find something that is 100% cotton is even rarer. It feels so gorgeous on your skin, it's one of the softest things I've ever worn, and it's lovely and warm too, ideal for autumn.


I got my usual size, and it fits really true to size. Being 100% cotton it has no stretch at all, so if you are someone who has a particularly large bust you may need to size up just to be safe. It's a classic shirt dress style that flares out towards the bottom of the dress, skimming over your hips. and features a tie around the waist. You could very easily style this with a black jumper over the top of it for added warmth as winter hits, the collar peaking out would be adorable.


I mean could this be the more perfect dress for autumn?! I'm 5ft 11, and this dress hits me just under my knees which is fairly standard for a midi dress on me. Most people would find it to be a true midi length. The sleeves just reach my wrists, I usually roll sleeves up because they don't reach long enough, but I can get away with these down. 


I also love that this dress matches my hair now the purple has faded into more of a greeny blue. I think this dress has quickly become an absolute favourite piece that I own and I just know I'll be getting so much wear out of it.


I can see myself adding a whole lot more check print to my wardrobe this autumn!

Much love,
Kitty xxx


*denotes an item gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this impact upon my opinions which are entirely my own.

Girly Grunge with Navabi*

Tuesday 24 October 2017

Music is one of my biggest fashion inspirations, and every autumn I am filled with the urge to bring out my inner 90's grunge kid. I love 90's Seattle grunge, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam being my favourites. It makes me think of acid wash jeans, biker boots, plaid shirts, and long curly hair. I like adding in my usual mix of girly, and this lush Navabi Manon Baptiste Checked Midi Shirt Dress* is the perfect way to bring in my own touch of 90's grunge.


Paired with my fave Plus Equals pleather jacket, and my new ASOS glitter boots, it's the perfect way to wear a more feminine grunge inspired look. I am obsessed with this dress.


Navabi are high end plus size fashion, and with every piece of clothing I have from them that quality and care is so evident. This dress is 100% cotton. Cotton clothing is so rare in plus size, and to find something that is 100% cotton is even rarer. It feels so gorgeous on your skin, it's one of the softest things I've ever worn, and it's lovely and warm too, ideal for autumn.


I got my usual size, and it fits really true to size. Being 100% cotton it has no stretch at all, so if you are someone who has a particularly large bust you may need to size up just to be safe. It's a classic shirt dress style that flares out towards the bottom of the dress, skimming over your hips. and features a tie around the waist. You could very easily style this with a black jumper over the top of it for added warmth as winter hits, the collar peaking out would be adorable.


I mean could this be the more perfect dress for autumn?! I'm 5ft 11, and this dress hits me just under my knees which is fairly standard for a midi dress on me. Most people would find it to be a true midi length. The sleeves just reach my wrists, I usually roll sleeves up because they don't reach long enough, but I can get away with these down. 


I also love that this dress matches my hair now the purple has faded into more of a greeny blue. I think this dress has quickly become an absolute favourite piece that I own and I just know I'll be getting so much wear out of it.


I can see myself adding a whole lot more check print to my wardrobe this autumn!

Much love,
Kitty xxx


*denotes an item gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this impact upon my opinions which are entirely my own.

The New Crown & Glory Glitterati Box

Thursday 19 October 2017

Until last year, I was subscribed to the Crown & Glory Glitterati. It was a hair accessory subscription service that sent different head bands, bobbles, clips and more each month, with a theme. I cancelled in the run up to the wedding to save money, but with the announcement that they were changing the box and adding jewellery, homeware and more, I had to try it again. It costs £23.95 a month in the UK (which includes shipping).

I've been subscribed for 3 months now but this is the first time I've blogged the box. Mostly, because I can't quite make up my mind about it. I miss having more hair accessories and the use of the word 'homeware' is a little misleading. So far the 'homeware' aspect of the box has included passport and notebook covers, it's definitely more stationary focused than I realised. This month I was excited thinking there would be a Halloween theme, but instead they opted for a 'Stars, Skulls and a Whole Lot of Glitter' theme.


One of three non-hair accessories this month, is the starry glittery pouch. I use pouches like this to store my lipstick in in my handbag so I was more than happy with this. It's really cute and it doesn't seem like the glitter will rub off.


Next up is some wax candle melts from the Ember Candle Company in the shape of little skulls, it's the only spooky item this month. You get four skulls, and these are orange and cinnamon scented which is just a perfect autumn smell. I have a skull designed for the melts so I can't wait to get these in it.


The last non-hair accessory, is these star shoe clips. They are cute but I'm not sure quite what to do with them! They are pale orange and pale yellow, which aren't colours I usually wear, but these might look OK on my rose gold Converses. We shall see!


One of the cuter items is this heart hair clip. It looks almost like it has planetary rings around it, and is quite tattoo like. I'll definitely wear this and it's a cute addition to the box.


And finally, my absolute favourite piece in the box, this crescent moon barrette. This is truly beautiful, and I think against my now blue hair will look lovely.

I'm not sure I'm going to keep subscribed to the box, but I will for at least another month as it continues to grow and change.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

The New Crown & Glory Glitterati Box

Thursday 19 October 2017

Until last year, I was subscribed to the Crown & Glory Glitterati. It was a hair accessory subscription service that sent different head bands, bobbles, clips and more each month, with a theme. I cancelled in the run up to the wedding to save money, but with the announcement that they were changing the box and adding jewellery, homeware and more, I had to try it again. It costs £23.95 a month in the UK (which includes shipping).

I've been subscribed for 3 months now but this is the first time I've blogged the box. Mostly, because I can't quite make up my mind about it. I miss having more hair accessories and the use of the word 'homeware' is a little misleading. So far the 'homeware' aspect of the box has included passport and notebook covers, it's definitely more stationary focused than I realised. This month I was excited thinking there would be a Halloween theme, but instead they opted for a 'Stars, Skulls and a Whole Lot of Glitter' theme.


One of three non-hair accessories this month, is the starry glittery pouch. I use pouches like this to store my lipstick in in my handbag so I was more than happy with this. It's really cute and it doesn't seem like the glitter will rub off.


Next up is some wax candle melts from the Ember Candle Company in the shape of little skulls, it's the only spooky item this month. You get four skulls, and these are orange and cinnamon scented which is just a perfect autumn smell. I have a skull designed for the melts so I can't wait to get these in it.


The last non-hair accessory, is these star shoe clips. They are cute but I'm not sure quite what to do with them! They are pale orange and pale yellow, which aren't colours I usually wear, but these might look OK on my rose gold Converses. We shall see!


One of the cuter items is this heart hair clip. It looks almost like it has planetary rings around it, and is quite tattoo like. I'll definitely wear this and it's a cute addition to the box.


And finally, my absolute favourite piece in the box, this crescent moon barrette. This is truly beautiful, and I think against my now blue hair will look lovely.

I'm not sure I'm going to keep subscribed to the box, but I will for at least another month as it continues to grow and change.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Why I'm Still Playing Pokemon GO

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Well over a year after it's initial release, I'm still playing Pokemon GO on a daily basis. I know it's not considered cool anymore, and I don't care to be quite honest, I love it! I loved Pokemon when the cards were originally released, it was a huge part of my early teenage years, and now in my late (just!) twenties, it's become a huge part of my life all over again.


2017 saw the release of the second generation of Pokemon, and a whole 90 new Pokemon to add to your Pokedex, not including the regional exclusives (which sadly the UK didn't get any of), and the legendaries. The last few months have also finally seen the release of the legendary Pokemon in limited releases. With this release, came the reason I still play daily. To catch the legendary Pokemon, you must participate in raids, and you cannot do this alone. You need a good team of players to complete the raid, introducing a whole new social aspect to the game.


With the release of each new legendary, comes great excitement. I'm very lucky to live in Grimsby, we have a fantastic PoGo community here that is very organised and eager to help. There is a lot of buzz, we plan via Facebook and it's meant I've gained some new friends, and reconnected with some old friends too! 


Mewtwo being released via invite only EX-raid passes has been the most fun! Waking up to see my fellow trainers had started to receive invites to Mewtwo raids, and then logging into PoGo and seeing my own had me literally squealing with delight! We got planning and preparing our teams, and meeting up with everyone on the day, the atmosphere was buzzing. See the egg hatch into Mewtwo had us all cheering and getting eager to get battling! We have a really good bunch locally, so we had agreed to form teams to optimise the rewards for every player, so everyone would have the chance to catch Mewtwo. I punched the air with joy when I caught it on my first throw, with a critical catch! Seeing the other players so happy and working together, it's really awesome. If you've been struggling to raid make sure you search for local Facebook PoGo groups, you might be surprised to discover you have some really active ones that will help you out. 


Pokemon GO has become such a social activity for me, I go out and walk a lot, I meet up with people I might never have met with PoGo, and it encourages me to get out of the house! I'm proudly Team Mystic and going out and helping my fellow Mystics take over and rule the gyms is great fun. I'm level 35 now and determined to keep pushing forward and be the best trainer I can be.

I know it's not 'cool', but I love it. I haven't had a hobby that I've been so consistent with and enjoying for so long. My carpal tunnel means photography isn't viable for me anymore, but PoGo is much easier on my hands. With the arrival of generation 3 pokemon seeming imminent, I don't see myself stopping any time soon!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Why I'm Still Playing Pokemon GO

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Well over a year after it's initial release, I'm still playing Pokemon GO on a daily basis. I know it's not considered cool anymore, and I don't care to be quite honest, I love it! I loved Pokemon when the cards were originally released, it was a huge part of my early teenage years, and now in my late (just!) twenties, it's become a huge part of my life all over again.


2017 saw the release of the second generation of Pokemon, and a whole 90 new Pokemon to add to your Pokedex, not including the regional exclusives (which sadly the UK didn't get any of), and the legendaries. The last few months have also finally seen the release of the legendary Pokemon in limited releases. With this release, came the reason I still play daily. To catch the legendary Pokemon, you must participate in raids, and you cannot do this alone. You need a good team of players to complete the raid, introducing a whole new social aspect to the game.


With the release of each new legendary, comes great excitement. I'm very lucky to live in Grimsby, we have a fantastic PoGo community here that is very organised and eager to help. There is a lot of buzz, we plan via Facebook and it's meant I've gained some new friends, and reconnected with some old friends too! 


Mewtwo being released via invite only EX-raid passes has been the most fun! Waking up to see my fellow trainers had started to receive invites to Mewtwo raids, and then logging into PoGo and seeing my own had me literally squealing with delight! We got planning and preparing our teams, and meeting up with everyone on the day, the atmosphere was buzzing. See the egg hatch into Mewtwo had us all cheering and getting eager to get battling! We have a really good bunch locally, so we had agreed to form teams to optimise the rewards for every player, so everyone would have the chance to catch Mewtwo. I punched the air with joy when I caught it on my first throw, with a critical catch! Seeing the other players so happy and working together, it's really awesome. If you've been struggling to raid make sure you search for local Facebook PoGo groups, you might be surprised to discover you have some really active ones that will help you out. 


Pokemon GO has become such a social activity for me, I go out and walk a lot, I meet up with people I might never have met with PoGo, and it encourages me to get out of the house! I'm proudly Team Mystic and going out and helping my fellow Mystics take over and rule the gyms is great fun. I'm level 35 now and determined to keep pushing forward and be the best trainer I can be.

I know it's not 'cool', but I love it. I haven't had a hobby that I've been so consistent with and enjoying for so long. My carpal tunnel means photography isn't viable for me anymore, but PoGo is much easier on my hands. With the arrival of generation 3 pokemon seeming imminent, I don't see myself stopping any time soon!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

My New Hearing Aid

Tuesday 3 October 2017

I've spoken once or twice about my hearing loss on my blog before, I'm mostly deaf in my left ear and have minor loss in my right ear. I've had hearing loss since birth and it has gotten somewhat worse over the years. I got my first hearing aid at 21 but honestly, I've had nothing but problems with them so haven't worn them regularly ever. I've finally gotten a new one that so far seems to be working great for me!


This is my old hearing aid. I've always had NHS hearing aids so they are the traditional BTE (behind the ear) type, and the larger purple sections goes into my ear and fills in the canal. Normally hearing aids are a standard beige colour that is allegedly skin coloured. They are considered the standard 'skin colour' which is obviously problematic, and in no way are they remotely actually skin coloured. My old ENT kindly let me have a purple hearing aid because I had purple hair and he thought I'd appreciate it. I did! Usually colourful hearing aids and those with stickers are for children to encourage them to wear their hearing aids. I suffer with eczema and swimmer's ear and unfortunately this style hearing aid exacerbated both of those conditions, meaning I couldn't wear the hearing aid.


This is my new style! Still a BTE, but instead the receiver sits inside my ear canal, and the other tube sits in the outside of my ear to keep it in place. It's essentially invisible in my ear bar the small see through tubes. I'm not particularly bothered about it being visible, but I know some people feel self conscious about them. The inner ear design means more air gets into my ear so my skin conditions don't seem to be affected by it so far. It's really comfortable and the sound quality is brilliant. It takes a while to get used to it, my brain needs to re-learn which sounds it needs to filter out as background noise, at the moment everything is just quite loud!

Right not it's all quite new to me, it's the first time I've been able to wear a hearing aid for years with any regularity, I was rather aghast to discover that I actually speak incredibly loudly (which I'm sure everyone who knows me IRL will say 'well duh' to).

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

My New Hearing Aid

Tuesday 3 October 2017

I've spoken once or twice about my hearing loss on my blog before, I'm mostly deaf in my left ear and have minor loss in my right ear. I've had hearing loss since birth and it has gotten somewhat worse over the years. I got my first hearing aid at 21 but honestly, I've had nothing but problems with them so haven't worn them regularly ever. I've finally gotten a new one that so far seems to be working great for me!


This is my old hearing aid. I've always had NHS hearing aids so they are the traditional BTE (behind the ear) type, and the larger purple sections goes into my ear and fills in the canal. Normally hearing aids are a standard beige colour that is allegedly skin coloured. They are considered the standard 'skin colour' which is obviously problematic, and in no way are they remotely actually skin coloured. My old ENT kindly let me have a purple hearing aid because I had purple hair and he thought I'd appreciate it. I did! Usually colourful hearing aids and those with stickers are for children to encourage them to wear their hearing aids. I suffer with eczema and swimmer's ear and unfortunately this style hearing aid exacerbated both of those conditions, meaning I couldn't wear the hearing aid.


This is my new style! Still a BTE, but instead the receiver sits inside my ear canal, and the other tube sits in the outside of my ear to keep it in place. It's essentially invisible in my ear bar the small see through tubes. I'm not particularly bothered about it being visible, but I know some people feel self conscious about them. The inner ear design means more air gets into my ear so my skin conditions don't seem to be affected by it so far. It's really comfortable and the sound quality is brilliant. It takes a while to get used to it, my brain needs to re-learn which sounds it needs to filter out as background noise, at the moment everything is just quite loud!

Right not it's all quite new to me, it's the first time I've been able to wear a hearing aid for years with any regularity, I was rather aghast to discover that I actually speak incredibly loudly (which I'm sure everyone who knows me IRL will say 'well duh' to).

Much love,
Kitty xxxx